FIRE, WATER FOIL GORDON'S DOUBLE

Fire and rain stamped out Robby Gordon's bid for a memorable racing double.

Gordon hoped to join John Andretti as the second driver to race in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. But rain postponed the Indy 500 and shortened the Coca-Cola 600.

Gordon, who crashed and finished 40th among 42 drivers in the NASCAR Winston Cup race on Sunday night at Charlotte, N.C., finished 29th in the 35-car Indy 500 field Tuesday after a fuel leak caused a fire in his car. He ran only four laps on the race's restart.

"I guess we started with rain and ended up with fire," owner Felix Sabates said. "I guess that's the way it's supposed to be."

Gordon had just passed eventual winner Arie Luyendyk on the backstretch to move into second when he suddenly pulled into the Turn 3 warmup lane. He jumped out of the car and began rolling on the grass.

Gordon was treated at the infield care center for firstand second-degree burns on his left wrist, right hand, right wrist and right thigh.

"I don't know what happened," Gordon said. "I was coming out of Turn 2, and I had fire all over me. I felt all this heat. I realized I was on fire going down the back-stretch.

"I'm disappointed. This car felt so good. We had the car to beat."

Sabates, Gordon's Winston Cup owner, agreed to finance Gordon's Indy ride. He hired three planes and two helicopters, figuring the publicity that came in duplicating Andretti's 1994 feat would make it worth his investment.

But the team ended up using eight motors and went $500,000 over its $2 million budget.

"It's frustrating to me that we had so many engine problems," Sabates said. "I can't control the engines. If I could, some heads would have rolled.

"Still I'm real glad I did it. I have no regrets. There are three great sporting events - the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 and the Kentucky Derby. Maybe next year I'll buy a horse."